Pancakes with Blueberry Butter

One great thing about the weekend, is that you can have lazy mornings and spend more time on breakfast than you usually would during your normal weekday routine. This blueberry butter is so unbelievably delicious with the perfect amount of sweet and salty with every bite. Perfect for Sunday morning pancakes or toast. It will keep in the refridgerator for up to one week and the best part is that the recipe calls for only three ingredients!

Source: Not Without Salt

You Will Need:

• 1 stick butter, salted (or add 1/4 tsp salt), softened
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Confectioner’s sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Here We Go:

• Combine the butter and the sugar
• Mash the blueberries with the butter until the butter is lightly colored from the blueberry skins
• You still want to maintain lots of nice blueberry chunks, so be careful not to over mash.
• Store in the fridge for up to one week

Happy Feasting!

Old Skool Playa

My birthday was back in August and seeing how much I love to cook, and love a good sandwich, my brother and his girlfriend gave me a cookbook as part of my birthday present. This was not just any cookbook. This was "The Big New York Sandwich Book". The book is chocked full fabulous sandwich creations "from the city's greatest restaurants and chefs."

The Old Skool Playa is an oldie but a goodie and I couldn't help myself from making it for lunch. This is a grilled cheese West Village style according to the book. Murrays' Cheese Shop has been around since the 1940's and you will find hundreds of cheeses to choose from (tastings included!) They took a classic grilled cheese recipe, and rather than cooking it on the stove-top they broiled it in the oven for an even crunchier, tastier American favorite.

You Will Need:

• 3 slices thick smoky bacon
• 2 slices bread of your choice
• Butter
• 3 oz sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 slices tomato

Here We Go:

• Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and cook the bacon to desired degree of doneness; drain
• Preheat the broiler
• Butter the bottoms of each piece of bread and evenly distribute the cheese across both slices of bread
• Put the pieces of bacon on top of one half of the bread slices
• Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast until they're golden brown
• Remove from oven, add tomato to cheese and bacon slice, and close the sandwich

Serves 1
Happy Feasting!

Fig, Tomato, and Sweet Onion Salad

I know that temperatures have been in the 60's this week here in North Carolina, and Fall has officially arrived, but I just can't seem to stop making some of my favorite summer dishes. This salad was featured in Cooking Light back in June and it was fantastic. The recipe called for fresh mint but since I prefer basil I went that route and it was delicious. The simple red wine vinaigrette is very light and really makes the flavors of the figs, cherry tomatoes and Vidalia onions stand out. If you want to make this a complete meal I bet adding grilled shrimp or chicken would be divine. Make this summer salad before it is too cold!

You Will Need:

• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups fresh figs, quartered (about 1/2 pound)
• 2 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup sliced Vidalia onion
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup (1oz) feta cheese, crumbled

Here We Go:

• Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk
• Add figs, lettuce, tomatoes, onion and basil
• Toss gently to coat
• Sprinkle with feta cheese

Serve 4 as a side
Happy Feasting!

Feta & Sun-dried Tomato Dip

This four ingredient dip is perfect with pretzel chips or crackers and is a great quick appetizer option when you are crunched for time but still want to impress your guests. The feta and sun-dried tomatoes give this creamy dip a very rich flavor that makes it seem like you have spent hours in the kitchen instead of five minutes. I would make this at least a few hours in advance to give the flavors time to blend. I made this the morning that we were having some friends over and it was even better when we had the leftover dip the next day.

Source: Real Simple July 2011

You Will Need:

• 4 oz feta, crumbled
• 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste

Here We Go:

• In a bowl, mash together feta, greek yogurt and olive oil
• Mix in sun-dried tomatoes
• Season with salt and pepper and chill before serving

Makes 1 1/2 cups
Happy Feasting!

Turkey Caesar Salad Bagel Sandwich

We are all always trying to spice up our lunch options. Lunch can oftentimes become redundant with the same old salad or turkey sandwich. Well, this turkey caesar bagel is delicious and such a creative way to eat your favorite caesar salad on a bagel. Layers of honey turkey, creamy caesar dressing, romaine lettuce, yellow onion, fresh parmesan and tomato make this my new favorite lunchtime combination! I will definitely be adding this into my weekly rotation and you guys should too!

Adapted from Cooking Light August 2011

You Will Need:

• 1 sesame bagel, toasted
• 2 or 3 slices of honey turkey
• 1 1/2 Tbsp creamy caesar dressing of your choice
• 2 or 3 thin slices of yellow onion
• 2 or 3 pieces of torn romaine lettuce
• 2 thin slices vine ripe tomatoes
• 2 or 3 thin slices of parmesan

Here We Go:

• Spread dressing evenly on cut sides of toasted bagel
• Layer turkey, onion, lettuce, tomato and parmesan on bottom halves of bagels
• Top with the top half of the bagel
• Slice sandwich in half and enjoy

Serves 1
Happy Feasting!